Product Description

We see it everywhere. From musicians and movie stars, to neighbors and friends at work, people are interested in having a spiritual life, but treat faith more like an à la carte menu at a restaurant, choosing what they like and dismissing the rest. Epitomized by popular figures like Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra, Western culture has embraced a spirituality devoid of the Biblical Christ.

In Why Jesus? Rediscovering His Truth in an Age of Mass Market Spirituality, Ravi Zacharias explores how this "New Spirituality" emerged. Looking at popular culture and contemporary writers and philosophers in this dialogue, Ravi evaluates their claims through the lens of four key elements--Truth, Relevance, Faith, and Reason, to show how relativism cannot answer the spiritual hunger in our hearts.

Rediscover the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and how His resurrection is the most important argument for the exclusive claims of Christianity.

Product Information

Format: DRM Protected ePubVendor: FaithWordsPublication Date: 2012

ISBN: 9780892963096ISBN-13: 9780892963096

Publisher's Description

The author believes that over the past forty years movements like New Age spirituality and society's obsession with human potential have combined like a "perfect storm" to redefine for popular culture what has been for centuries the classic biblical definition of the person, work, and teaching of Jesus Christ.

In WHY JESUS?, Ravi Zacharias looks at the impact of this "storm" by discussing the 60s-70s "Age of Aquarius," actor Shirley MacLaine's book and TV series Out On a Limb, author James Redfield (The Celestine Prophecy), Rhonda Byrne (The Secret), Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code), and other books by Eckart Tolle, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, the Dali Lama, and Marianne Williamson. Special attention will be given to the influence of Oprah Winfrey's media platform in reshaping society by introducing and promoting certain books and authors.

Major new age and human potential tenets will be discussed like: the belief that we are all gods and have to discover our divinity; Jesus was only a good teacher; Christianity is but one among many ways to eternal life; reincarnation is real; Jesus was married; truth is relative; there is no sin; and perfection is possible.

The truth of and the arguments for the bodily resurrection of Jesus will be presented as the most important argument for the exclusive claims about Jesus and Christianity.

Author Bio

Ravi Zacharias is the founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional offices in Canada, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Zacharias and his wife, Margie, have three grown children.

Editorial Reviews

"Ravi Zacharias gives a powerful defence of how Jesus Christ brings meaning and hope to an individual life."Billy Graham"Ravi takes a scholarly yet imaginative approach to aplogetics."Bruce Wilkinson, author of the #1 "New York Times" bestseller The Prayer of Jabez"The works of Ravi Zacharias are a vital resource around our house."Frank Peretti"I am not aquainted with a brighter mind or a more relevant and devoted defender of the faith than Ravi Zacharias."Charles Swindoll"To every generation God sends a prophet. Ravi Zacharias is that prophet for this generation. You must hear him."Josh McDowell

"Ravi Zacharias presents an outstanding defence of the Christian faith for our times."

This is Ravi at his best. In this book he keeps it simple (at least for those who have done a lot of apologetic studies), but still informative. As to what one reviewer here meant by bashing others, apparently she does not understand what "bashing" really is. To criticize or note differences or deficiencies is not bashing. Ravi has always tempered his apologetics with compassion and patience. You'll get a good idea of where Christianity differs from other worldviews of world religions and philosophies. His own background only serves to validate his arguments. Excellent book. A must. Good gift to a friend who may be searching. And it is quite logical!

In reply to those who say Ravi is criticizing other religions I just want to say that I have been reading and listening to Ravi since 1994 and I must say that Ravi goes out of his way to avoid coming across as criticizing. Some people cannot separate telling the truth from criticizing. Ravi shows where all the religions in the world fail in their answers to the great subject of salvation from sin. This is not criticism. When the proponents of those religions are given the floor they have no answers. no truth.

I was almost 2/3 of the way through the book before very much was said about Jesus. This book has given me a clearer understanding of the New Spirituality, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and the uniqueness of Jesus and what he offers in contrast. I am impressed with Mr. Zacharias' authority on these things as his knowledge comes from careful study of a wide range of religions and his personal experiences as a youth in India and now his wide engagement with other cultures and diverse groups of people. I must admit that I needed to have a dictionary close by to more fully grasp what he was talking about! I highly recommend the book to others.

Although I agree with several of the author's key points, I find his style of writing to be hard to follow and illogical. More importantly, he criticizes other religions for sins that the Christian church has also committed and thus comes across as hypocritical. There are several points where he hints at what we Christians (and not just Oprah) have done to turn people away from Christ rather than draw them in - but instead of developing these thoughts, he goes back to bashing others. Every once in a while I get a glimpse of humility in his writing, but I am afraid his fame has "gone to his head".